


"Just Give Me A Chance"

by kyxrou



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Akechi Goro Redemption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, During Shido's Palace, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2020-10-06 18:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20511845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyxrou/pseuds/kyxrou
Summary: Sacrificing yourself for people you had just tried to kill is not an easy task, Goro Akechi thinks. He had meant to die - he deserved it - and yet here he was, in the worst place possible, soon to be found by the worst person that could ever find him.And yet he is offered a second chance. A second chance at living, at doing what is right, and at redeeming himself for what he has done wrong.





	1. Day One: Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes thoughts can be harder to battle against than real people, Akechi discovers.

He was surrounded by the void.

It was just as most people expected it to look like. Completely black, devoid of life, silent. One could reach out and attempt to find light, but there was absolutely nothing. Only darkness, through and through, making one feel blind and trapped in a space that seemed small yet endless at the same time. There was no sound, no screams, nothing to pierce the deafening ring that was silence.

And Goro Akechi was floating in its peacefulness. Everything was just so calm, and at this point, he didn’t know if he wanted to leave. Actually, had he ever truly wanted to leave in the first place? Maybe this place was his home. Or perhaps he was dead.

Yet something in his gut was telling him that his life wasn’t over yet. That there was still meaning remaining, that if he awoke maybe he could find the answers he truly desired. Could he trust this feeling, however? It seemed to be spouting nonsense, and even then, Akechi had been lied to his whole life. He had lied to himself and others so many times that he didn’t even know if he could trust gut feeling anymore.

And yet the feeling was insisting and telling him that he still had something to do, but he couldn’t remember what. In fact, he couldn’t remember anything. Why was he here? How had he gotten here? Where was here? And why was this feeling so insistent that he needed to wake up? He could just stay in this silent void forever - wouldn’t that be the wiser option? It was so nice and quiet here, and he had nothing to worry about.

Suddenly his stomach lurched and his vision blurred, and Akechi felt like he was being dropped from an unfathomable height. A few moments later, the breath was knocked out of his lungs, and all of his senses snapped back to him so harshly that it made him feel numb. It had all happened within the blink of an eye, and Akechi had been so unprepared for it that the fear and adrenaline coursing through his body had threatened to make him pass out.

He waited a few seconds before he tried moving. At first, nothing happened, but he gave it a few more moments. Afterwards, only his hands responded. The rest of his body wasn’t following the commands his brain was screaming at them, to move, to at least show any sign that he was not paralyzed.

His neck was in pain and so was his left arm, and his legs were numb. Slowly, gingerly, he opened his eyes, only to see black, cracked pavement surrounding him. Sharp rocks and gravel were scattered on its surface, digging into Akechi’s body as he attempted to sit up and look around, maybe lean back onto a wall or something. Such action proved to be impossible, however.

And then the smell overwhelmed him.

It had almost been as sudden as the drop from the void. Everything smelled like garbage and vomit, like rodents and rotten food. The air was thick with the smell, and even with no breeze, the scent wafted all over the place, surrounding him. However, there was no sign of life in the back alley which Akechi had supposedly decided to hide in.  
The boy was gradually starting to remember more - he had gone to the Metaverse, he knew that much. For whatever reason, his mind couldn’t pinpoint, but it must have been important if he hadn’t even taken the time to find a more decent spot near the target’s location to hide and take cover.

His head still pounding, Akechi decided to retrace his steps. He didn’t care how long it took, but at the same time, he needed to find out if he was in danger and if he needed to leave.

He almost choked when his latest memory came back to him. All of these feelings, these memories crashing back to him, was too much. It was gradual at first, but it didn’t take long for the feeling of extreme fear to rush back to him once again.

He had been shot. He had been in a situation of life and death, the latter seeming to be a more possible outcome, and yet he had let himself get shot. But if he was now here…

Why had he been shot? Who had shot him?

Those two questions were added to the already numerous ones spinning through his mind, and it took Akechi a few minutes (or maybe an hour or two, he had lost his sense of time a while ago, it seemed) for the memories of the prior events to clearly show in his mind.

...Right. Shido’s Palace, the large cruiser which had been sailing across a fallen and flooded Japan. He could hear the distant sound of an alarm, followed by the clash of metal against metal and the feel of the ground shaking underneath him.

He held his red longsword against a small yet sturdy dagger. Wait… was he in his Black Mask costume? And who were the figures standing in front of him? No… It couldn’t be.

He looked around. He was experiencing the memory again, and very vividly that it almost seemed real. He could hear shouts… which he recognized. The Phantom Thieves. So that’s who they were.

His surroundings were immediately able to tell him that he was in the engine room of the cruiser. Why was he there, however? And Joker. Why was he still alive? He should have been dead, murdered by Akechi’s pistol-

The Metaverse. Shit.

Almost as if on command, the memory suddenly warped and changed, as if it were being played on a record that had been sped up to be almost four times the normal speed. 

There was now another Goro Akechi aiming a gun at him, except it wasn’t anything silly like a reflection. This Akechi was in his detective prince uniform, but his face was twisted and his mouth was opened to reveal cruel-looking fangs. He seemed terribly amused by the events playing out before him - the real Akechi was looking up at him, his outfit’s mask broken, his forehead bleeding, and Shadows surrounding him while the Phantom Thieves to his right didn’t dare move.

Cowards, his mind yelled at him.

And so the clone Akechi moved, the aura surrounding him setting off red flags in the normal Akechi’s mind - he was not real, he was a being of cognition, and a twisted cognition at that.

But his face. His narrowed crimson eyes, his cruel grin, the evil words being spat out of his mouth, the knives he was glaring at Joker and Akechi, the gun pointed at the latter’s head, the Shadows surrounding him who were all under his command.

And then the sound of sirens grew louder, and a wall now separated him and the Phantom Thieves, and the gunshot sounded, and the pain pierced his shoulder and Akechi brought up his own weapon to shoot his cognitive double, thus leading to the Palace collapsing along with his own consciousness.

And so Akechi woke up in the alley once again. Crap, he thought as he remarked the blood pooling at his left. How had he not noticed that before? He didn’t know the repercussions of being injured in the Metaverse could affect one in real life, but even then he had never been so critically injured before.

His vision was finally starting to clear up, his mind less groggy. He knew it. He had lost to the Phantom Thieves. So he now had double the problems he had before - how would he explain this to Shido? He had been in his Palace, ready to kill his Shadow, only to be stopped by the Phantom Thieves, who supposedly had the same goal?

Akechi sighed. There’s no solving this. I can’t just go running to Shido or the Phantom Thieves of Hearts begging for one of them to take me in after all that I’ve done. I’m on neither side now.

He was alone once again.

But he always had been, hadn’t he? Even his mother hadn’t been able to carry the burden of caring for her bastard child. He ignored the thought.

Part of his mind was telling him to go into hiding, but even that would be difficult. Shido could just use his many minions to track him down and kill him, and his disappearance probably wouldn’t even be noticed by the public thanks to Shido’s overwhelming power of the media and masses.

But what else was there to do? Kill himself? The idea was tempting - it was what he was going for in order to save Joker and his team, according to his still hazy memory. At least they would have had a chance of taking down Japan’s future Prime Minister - Akechi was as useless as he could be now that his mission had failed. The Phantom Thieves would probably try to trigger a change of heart in him, too, if that were even possible.

Unless I get to them first. Let them do whatever they want with Shido, but after the elections, I go after each and every one of them and trigger a mental shutdown.  
The idea was so cruel that it was sickening. Akechi couldn’t help but laugh at the idea - it would be so fun to watch each of them drop dead out of nowhere.

And yet, deep down, he knew he couldn’t do that. Part of him just wouldn’t let it happen, despite all of the things he had done to those cruel individuals as well as innocents who had stood in Shido’s way to ultimate power. They had been different, they had been individuals which he had been forced to take down.  
And when Akechi thought of the Phantom Thieves, he found that he… didn’t want to. Which was wrong! They had tried to kill him, had gotten in the way of his master plan, and had practically left him for dead. They deserved it. They really did. It was all their fault.  
But nothing could be done if he stayed here. He had to get help, go somewhere, hide, fix his arm. He could forget the Phantom Thieves for now - they were foolish enough to have trusted him in the first place.

Akechi almost laughed at himself. Of course they hadn’t trusted him. He had to give them credit for something.

Yet his thoughts still swirled. Goro was almost sure that he had pieced all of his memories together by now, meaning he could at least remember his current goal.

Find somewhere to hide before he could be found. It didn’t necessarily have to be far, he just had to stop the bleeding of his wound before he lost consciousness once again. It was slowly creeping up on him, it really was.

But where could he find supplies in such a desolate and disgusting place? To think such uncleanliness was even allowed near the Diet building. The only objects near him were an empty dumpster and brick walls, and the rocks which he now uncomfortably sat on thanks to his inability to stand without falling over.

Goro peeked at his wound once again.

Left arm, lower shoulder, near the joint. The bullet had just barely missed bone, from what he could tell, yet he doubted the object created from cognition was still there. It had only served to injure him regardless, but at least it was one less problem to worry about.

His lower arm was numb, but now that he was fully awake, Akechi’s shoulder throbbed with the most intense pain he had ever felt. It felt like part of him was missing - which it technically was - even though the bullet hadn’t even pierced all the way through his skin. A faulty shot from that range.

He hadn’t been able to feel the pain before. But now it hurt like hell, and it was only spreading.

Still unable to move his arm, Akechi twisted his torso to look to his left. Not far lay the gates and guards that protected the Diet building, and Akechi pondered calling for them for a moment.

However, this method would require explaining how he had snuck onto private property and how he had gotten shot, which was not a story he wanted to explain nor have published, even if he came up with a lie. If Shido found out that he had been fooling around in his Palace and had almost caused massive destruction, he would instantly be deemed a threat and eliminated. Either way, Shido knowing that one of his missions had failed would result in a negative outcome.

So he stayed put. Goro Akechi, Second Coming of the Detective Prince, sat ashamed in an alley which he had forbiddenly entered, only to get a serious bullet wound to his shoulder which would eventually cause him to lose consciousness from blood loss.

And there was nothing he could do to save himself.

It had been twilight when Akechi had drifted into unconsciousness.

Now when he looked up at the sky, all that could be seen were stars and the bright light of the full moon overhead. Meaning he had been out for only a few hours.

It seemed that nobody had noticed his presence. He was far back enough in the deserted alley to not be seen by patrolling guards or cameras at this time of night anyway, so he was safe. For the time being.

As soon as dawn struck, he would have to escape. Escape before more people showed up near the building, so preferably near the back exit where he had been able to sneak in prior to all of the events.

It was a miracle that he was even still alive.

By now his wound had ceased its bleeding, and Akechi felt dizzy from blood loss. He still hadn’t patched up or even touched the wound since its infliction, and dried red blood now surrounded the area where the bullet had struck and had soaked his clothes so thoroughly that he couldn’t even pinpoint the exact location of the hole near his left shoulder.

If he didn’t do something about it soon, it would become infected, which was already bad enough news on its own without the consideration of all the other factors currently affecting his life.

Yet Akechi was in no state to even stand up. He had lost too much blood and had no food or drinks or bandages with him at the moment. His best chance of surviving the next few hours was to get medical care as soon as possible.

But he had argued against it ever since he had first woken up in the alley and realized that he had been shot. There were no underground doctors which Akechi could afford to pay, and no one else would keep this injury a secret. He would be lucky enough to even get noticed by a building guard by yelling.

And what was the worst that could happen after he had died in this terrible alley, anyways?

He could end his misery right here and now. He could forget all of his plans - they wouldn’t matter anyway. Let the Phantom Thieves and Akira Kurusu do whatever the hell they wanted, while Akechi rotted on the ground near his bastard father’s main office.

He knew this wasn’t a good thought process to be having at the moment. Or at all, actually, for it had happened before - these suicidal thoughts.

Akechi had worked so hard to get to where he is today - or was, yesterday. Studied double the time of a normal student, entered a prestigious high school, and applied to a college. He had formed a plan to take down his father when he was only fourteen, and the gifts of his Personas had been a tremendous help when it came to fulfilling Shido’s orders and taking down his enemies one by one.

On the outside, Akechi was merely a simple boy leading the life of a TV-famous ace detective who helped solve crimes and bring equality to society. A true hero of justice, just like he had always wanted to be.

Not some… cursed bastard child who had been rejected and caused pain to his mother and relatives, not a child who had suffered what a child shouldn’t have suffered, not a young teenage boy who had been unlucky enough to stumble upon supernatural powers which had eventually led him down this twisted path of death and destruction and betrayal which he had grown accustomed to.

Goro Akechi was no one’s pet. He didn’t work for Masayoshi Shido nor the Phantom Thieves. He was his own person and could fulfill his own lifelong goals of bringing justice to society, to the country he had lost belief in…

By murdering for the future prime minister? By killing someone whom he had thought to be his only friend, only to discover that he was, in fact, his enemy? The boy who could have changed his life and perhaps could have had him avoid the Metaverse if only they had met a few years earlier?

It was a sad, dark story. Oh, the pity Akira Kurusu had probably felt when he had heard the devastating story of the famous Detective Prince’s life.

Screw it. Screw it all.

Nothing could be fixed now. Akechi hadn’t succeeded in sacrificing himself for the greater good, which meant that he now had to put himself out of his own misery. Did someone of his calibre truly deserve to live?

Everyone and everything could go to hell for what he cared. If he stayed here just a little bit longer without being noticed, his injury would eventually get the best of him and he would die. Here, in this dark alley near a building infested by underlings for a malevolent future Prime Minister, with no one and nothing to keep him company but the foul smell and the rocks which lay at his feet.

His mission had failed. He was finally coming to terms with that and the fact that the plan he had been concocting for years had just been a waste that would eventually lead to his demise. In the end, nothing he had done had mattered.

Not even the trust he had wanted to gain with Akira Kurusu, the leader of the Phantom Thieves, so he could eventually kill him like Shido had wanted to kill Akechi after he was done with him. They both would’ve been out with the trash, just like that.

Not that it mattered anymore, as Akechi had been telling himself for the past twenty minutes or so.

He could die here. The Phantom Thieves would forget about his existence and so would the public, and Goro Akechi would succumb to whatever kind of afterlife awaited the dead.

It didn’t seem like such a bad plan after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated format for clarity and consistency as of August 16th 2020.


	2. Day Two: Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You were unconscious when I found you."

From his position of lying on the cold ground, Akechi’s eyes fluttered open at the near-silent sound of pebbles being scattered.

He had never been a heavy sleeper. At first, it had just been a normal part of him, but things had changed over the years, and the reason why Akechi awoke at the slightest sounds had changed. Even now, injured and experiencing serious blood loss from a bullet wound, his instincts of never trusting any noise or indication of movement kicked in. He was basically a hitman, after all, so it was only natural that he be prepared if ever a cleaner was sent after him to erase any evidence of his relation to Shido.

And unfortunately, that seemed like something very likely to happen in this situation. Shido had always been one to figure out true intentions fast, so it wouldn’t be surprising for him to have discovered that Akechi had done something bad enough for him to go into hiding.

Akechi wasn’t stupid. He had heard the calls he had been getting for the past hour before his phone had died, and when they had stopped, he had prepared himself for the worst, whether it be a confrontation or full-on extermination.

It took a while, but after fully regaining his senses, Akechi struggled to sit up, and when that failed him, he merely lifted his head to get a better glimpse of the person entering the dark alley near the Diet building. They were hard to see, a dark shadow against an even darker shadow, hidden by the brick walls and the clouds covering the half-moon. Some of Akechi’s hair had fallen to cover his face, but it wasn’t like he could shift his position or move his arms to fix that. It was the least of his worries at the moment.

The person approaching him hadn’t stopped moving, keeping their steady pace with no hesitation. A quick accession and Akechi was able to tell that the person was at least five feet and eight inches tall, but the manner in which they carried themselves was… interesting, to say the least. They stood tall but moved slow enough to show that they were either tired or drunk, yet they didn’t bustle around or cause a commotion. They remained eerily quiet, aside for the sound of their shoes shifting over the ground, almost as if they were too heavy.

The figure had been around seven meters away when Akechi had first spotted them, but they were still advancing at that steady pace. They didn’t slow down, nor speed up, and as they got closer, Akechi was able to tell that the stranger was most likely male.

Akechi simply narrowed his eyes. “Who are you,” he growled. It wasn’t a question, curiosity - it was an order, and one asked threateningly, at that. He didn’t need to use his stupid ‘Detective Prince’ mask anymore - formalities definitely wouldn’t make the situation of being found hurt in a dirty, dark alley any better. He had already given up on hiding his true identity a while ago, actually.

At the sound of his voice, the stranger abruptly stopped. The way he cocked his head to the right was barely visible, but Akechi caught it anyways, marking it as a gesture of curiosity - almost like a cat. He didn’t say anything, didn’t move. Neither did the stranger.

Seconds passed. Nearly two minutes. And then they moved again. Six feet away now.

Akechi braced himself for a gun to be pointed at his head, or for someone to ask what he was doing here, while still struggling to sit upright. He was utterly vulnerable right now, but if he were to die, he would do so fighting. Or at least trying to.

But what happened next was definitely not on the list of what Akechi had been expecting, nor had been prepared for.

“...Akechi?”

Akechi’s narrowed eyes widened, if only slightly. It wasn’t the lack of the honorific that stunned him, but the familiarity of the voice. Damn it all to hell, of all people to find him now, in this state-

“You’re… alive.”

Akira Kurusu didn’t sound particularly happy nor disappointed. As to be expected from the leader of the Phantom Thieves, the Wildcard with a nearly indiscernible poker face.

Akechi replied almost instantly, his face twisting up in the most fearsome snarl he could muster at the moment.

“What the hell do you want? You have no business here.” The venom in Akechi’s words wasn’t necessarily intended, but he didn’t care. As long as he was able to get his point across, it didn’t matter.

Akira wasn’t shaken - in fact, he took another step forward. The shadows covering his body and face receded, his gray eyes finally visible, as well as the dark bags underneath said eyes. He looked like he had almost been beaten to death, hair ruffled more than usual, glasses gone, not needed. He wore his usual winter attire, a white shirt accompanied by a black vest, but even that was covered in dirt and didn’t look fit for wear. But considering he was here, in this stupid alley, in the middle of the night, it was honestly no surprise.

It still remained a strange sight to see right now, and a strange sight to see on someone like him. Akira Kurusu had found him, yes, but he seemed to be in a devastating state, almost as bad as Akechi’s own.

“I came to find you,” was the former’s utterly blunt answer.

It was so sudden, unexpected, but so had been a lot of things lately. Akechi almost choked on his next words, the snarl slowly dissipating.

“As if. Drop the act and tell me what method you’ve chosen for my demise.” His voice sounded as exhausted and defeated as he felt, and normally he wouldn’t let such a tone escape his mouth, but here he was, hurt and on the verge of death, only to be mocked by Akira Kurusu.

The black-haired boy replied sooner than it should have taken for Akechi’s words to have even registered. “I’m not going to kill you, if that’s what you’re thinking. Hell, I never meant to.”

Akechi didn’t believe it. No matter how much he wanted to, he just couldn’t bring himself to think that after all that had been done, Akira still wanted him alive and on this Earth.

“You have every right to end me right here and now - you don’t need to lie. The sooner you get it over with, the better-” He had meant to try and stand as he said those words, but instead Akechi was cut off as he winced in pain from the injury near his left shoulder. He hadn’t been able to feel the pain before, thanks to the shock that had still been coursing through his body, but after a few hours of rest, it seemed that the numbness that had enveloped his entire arm had disappeared.

Akira stepped forward again, his actions more urgent this time. His face still betrayed nothing. It never had. “You’re hurt.”

Akechi wanted to protest as the younger boy got closer, but he couldn’t. The pain was too great, and fresh blood started pooling out of his wound once again. Akira hesitated once he got within two feet of Akechi, however - the usual steel determination in his eyes had disappeared as he properly took in the state of Goro Akechi, replaced by what seemed like fear, or doubt, or whatever had shown there the day Akechi had been about to shoot him in the head.

“Don’t resist,” was all he said before he finally bent down and reached for Akechi’s arm, gently placing his hand near the wound, feeling for it and noting the areas which seemed to cause Akechi the most pain.

He wanted to protest. To tell the black-haired boy to back off, to leave him to die alone, to fulfill their promise of ridding of Shido once and for all and not waste his time on a fake detective who had butchered both of their own lives. But even when only grunts of pain would leave Akechi’s mouth, Akira merely shook his head and told him to stop resisting.

Not long after, Akechi’s jacket was ripped from his body, his left short sleeve lifted to give Akira a clearer look at the damaged skin. Akira’s own sweater was removed as well to be placed on the wound to help stop the bleeding. Akechi didn’t have time to try and grab his arm before Akira could do so.

“I’m only going to say this once.”

Akechi’s eyes, which had been screwed shut for most of the process, opened, glancing sidelong at Akira. He didn’t bother acknowledging that he had actually heard him.

“I’ll bring you to someone who can heal you, no questions asked,” Akira began, his intense gaze directed straight at Akechi’s own. “Her office isn’t far from Leblanc, but I’ll only bring you there on one condition - you come back.” A short pause followed during which Akira caught his breath. Akechi didn’t bat an eyelash. “Either that, or you die here alone, which I know seems appealing to you right now, but… but you have to come back,” Akira continued. His voice remained sturdy throughout the whole thing, the only hint of hesitation being the pause between certain words. Neither of them paid much mind to it.

Come back where, Akechi almost wanted to ask. The question would be useless, however, since he already knew the answer. He means come back to them. Come back to Cafe Leblanc, come back to the hideout, come back to… to the Phantom Thieves.

Honestly, the thought surprised him, but not as much as he thought it would. Of course Akira Kurusu would ask him to rejoin the Phantom Thieves. Of course he was the only person ridiculous enough to do that, whether it was for another brilliant plan of his to use Akechi and throw him out like the trash, or whether he was just the idiot he certainly appeared to be.

“You’re fucking insane. You know that,” Akechi replied with, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. All of his previous thoughts flew out of his body along with the oxygen from his lungs, and he found himself wanting to facepalm, as if that were an appropriate thing to do in this kind of situation.

Akira didn’t reply. When Akechi opened his eyes again, however, he found the catlike boy still staring back at him, waiting for an answer.

Akechi didn’t give him one before pushing him away with his good arm and attempting to remove the piece of clothing which was covering his injury.

“I need you to get the hell away from me,” he growled, voice rising in anger. “I don’t care if you’re being serious right now or if you’re just fucking with me, but I think it’s pretty clear that I don’t want your goddamn help. Leave me alone.”

Akira didn’t look surprised - in fact, he seemed angry when he glanced at the ripped cloth from his sweater on the ground, right after it had just been tied on to prevent Akechi’s wound from getting any worse. Whether it was about the waste of cloth or the fact that Akechi had ripped it off to show that he didn’t want it, he didn’t know nor care.

A moment passed where both of them were looking at each other with a matching sense of hatred before Akira’s eyes glazed over and his eyebrows furrowed.

“I know what it’s like, Goro.”

Once again, Akira Kurusu had managed to outweigh Akechi’s expectations.

“I know what it’s like to want to die. I don’t know if you’ve actually been paying attention when I explained it, but Shido was the reason I was treated like shit by my parents, schoolmates, everyone I knew. Things weren’t going well for me until I was lucky enough to have found friends willing to help me. Which is why I’m doing the same for you.”

Akira paused, eyeing Akechi for any kind of reaction, anything really. Akechi didn’t give him one.

“What I’m trying to say is, you don’t really want to die here. I know that, because I’ve been through something… similar. You tell yourself over and over that you failed and that there’s no point, and that there’s nothing you can do but die alone, but deep down… you can’t do it. You’re too afraid that you’ll regret it even more than everything else, and you…” Akira trailed off.  
It wasn’t like him to do that, they both knew - if he was giving a speech, he usually finished it off with words that resonated within both him and the receiver before encouraging them to do whatever it is they had to do. And yet here he was, struggling to find his next words, the words which might affect Akechi’s view and choice on his own life and death.

“...If you’re quite done here, Kurusu, I would appreciate you leave. Take your fucking sweater with you, or mine, I don’t care. Just get home safe so you can fulfill our deal without messing up.” It was the nicest thing Akechi had said in their damned conversation so far, and that was saying something.

...Silence.

Then.

“Give me a chance.”

“...What?”

“Give me another god’s damned chance, Akechi.”

The amount of things Akira could do to take Akechi by surprise was frightening, honestly. It was hard to come up with an answer to that.

It seemed like Akira really was being serious after all. The fool probably didn’t know what he was risking, what he was telling Akechi to do. He was practically giving up everything he had worked for, just by inviting his traitor, killer, to live. To truly live.

Yet perhaps ‘live’ wasn’t the proper term. ‘Survive’ seemed more appropriate - living was a term that could be taken out of context. Never would Akechi ever have the joy of properly living again, of having his own life, own shelter, own thoughts and decisions. If he joined Akira, all of that would no longer be up to him. But if Akechi were to kill him in the end, which he was afraid he would (not afraid, he told himself), then he would be ridding himself of this second chance that was being offered to him by an outstretched, calloused hand.

A hand which Akechi stared at for a good while before grabbing, ignoring the pain and negative things his body and mind were screaming at him as his bloody palm met Akira’s own.

The smile on his rival’s face was faint. Barely noticeable; hell, Akira probably didn’t even know that he was doing it. And therefore it disgusted Akechi.

And with that he was being lifted off the ground, almost toppling over, before Akira reached his arm underneath Akechi’s to support him from his right side. It wasn’t a comfortable position, but it was the only way he could move besides being carried in Akira’s arms bridal style - a thought which he did not enjoy.

“How did you even manage to get here? And why… why did you even try…?” Akechi’s voice was still hoarse as he asked the questions which had been bothering from the moment he had seen someone else in the same alley as him.

“I spent all night searching Shibuya, the subway station, and anywhere near the police office for you before asking myself: what would Akechi do? And so I figured you would most likely be somewhere near Shido, considering it was his Palace that we were infiltrating.” Akira glanced sideways as he answered, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

“...And you figured that I would want to be hidden near Shido to prevent being found right away. The last place he would look is anywhere near his most trusted lackeys…”

Akira grunted at the weight of Akechi slumped on his shoulders and back, but started walking shortly after. “As for how I got here, well, that’s a secret. Let’s just say it involves a kind politician and some friends.”

Akechi almost gagged at the mention of Akira’scompanions. Once upon a time, he had believed that they had fallen for his trap, and were able to perceive him as more than just the Second Coming of the Detective Prince, but in the end, they had known of his planned betrayal all along. Thus, the feeling of welcome and belonging which had inhabited within his heart for a brief amount of time had vanished almost as instantly as it had appeared.

And now he was supposed to believe that they were helping Akira save him, after all that he had done? Were they really just that loyal to their leader? Or did they perhaps just not care? How foolish.

“Don’t worry though,” Akira continued. “I only asked Futaba and Ryuji to cause a commotion, and considering the state I was in… they won’t ask any questions. Trust me.”

Akechi was now convinced that mind reading was an ability that Akira had gained along with the power of the wildcard bestowed upon him.

“...Hmph.”

It wasn’t long until they had exited the back alley, leading to the right side of the Diet building, not too far from its doors, but still a good few feet away from the entrance which was usually guarded by two well-trained men. As for them, however, they were nowhere to be found, and with the darkness from the clouds covering the moon, the self-proclaimed rivals were practically invisible against the densely plant-covered stone wall that marked the perimeter of the building.  
It was also thanks to the fact that Akira had covered both of them in their sweaters from earlier, not daring to leave them behind as evidence. If the security footage even reached this far, it wouldn’t be given a second glance. They were like shadow against shadow, just as Akira himself had been earlier.

Within three minutes, they had left the territory near the Diet building.  
Akechi could’ve sworn he had heard an argument taking place nearby, but he didn’t pay any mind to it.

They were now making their way towards Shibuya’s central street, instead taking a back alley near an airsoft shop that Akira apparently frequented often and knew the owner of pretty well. None of them had said a word since Akira had described how he had found Akechi, and things were perfectly fine that way if you asked the latter.

But of course Akira could figure that out too, and decided to open his big mouth to speak once again. It was as if he intentionally wanted Akechi to feel uncomfortable in this situation.

“You were unconscious when I found you, you know.”

Strange, because Akechi didn’t remember seeing it that way.

“I… I know you only woke up once you heard me walking towards you. But, truth is, when I found you I… had to take a breather.” Akira took a deep breath at that, as if reliving the moment. “I was so overwhelmed by the fact that you’d at least made it out of the Metaverse and seemed to be alive, that I had to sit down for a while and…organize my thoughts, I guess. I think I let myself be heard after that, though.”

Akechi didn’t reply. Even if he wanted to, he didn’t know what he could say in response to that. He just let Akira continue supporting him through the back alley until he was out of breath, finally leaning against a wall to take a break. Akechi took a seat beside him, his breath ragged and vision blacking out too frequently for his own liking thanks to the blood loss.

“It’s pretty late, but there are still people on the street and near the station. It’s not far, but if you need to stay here for a while…” Akira’s face surprisingly betrayed his concern.

“No,” Akechi snapped. “I don’t need to stay. I…” He wanted to say that he would like it if they could just get away from the public eye as soon as possible, but his mind blanked and his vision turned dark once more.

“You need a doctor. Right.” It wasn’t necessarily what Akechi wanted, but it wasn’t like he could argue at the moment.

“I’ll cover you with my jacket. I can also mess up your hair and lend you my glasses, but I don’t know if that will be enough. All you need to do is keep your head down and lean on me, maybe pretend you’re drunk…”

Akechi nodded, making his head spin. It seemed like a decent plan, but that was no surprise. The one part that worried him, however…

“I don’t need to wear your glasses. Looking down should be enough, and having you bump into people would be the last thing we… we need right now.” His words were slurred and near-silent, but Akira nodded and pulled him up once again, setting his dirtied black jacket on Akechi’s shoulders and reaching for his hair.

His hands did a quick job of leaving his already dirty hair in a state worse than before, to the point where it almost looked naturally curly enough that surely no one would recognize him. Akira then reached for his glasses, claiming “I don’t need them, they’re mostly just for show” (which earned a scoff from Akechi that almost resulted in a coughing fit) and placed them on Goro’s head, stepping backwards to assess his work before dragging them through the still bustling streets of Shibuya.

It wasn’t long until they had exited the train, no one paying any mind to either of them. Yongen-Jaya was as quiet as ever, but as they found themselves approaching a certain Tae Takemi’s clinic, Akechi figured he didn’t really want to be there right now and found himself questioning his previous decision of actually agreeing to Akira’s offer.

His breathing had already been ragged, but it was now speeding up along with his heart rate, and his vision was becoming so bad that he could barely see anything within two feet ahead of him. Akira, however, was quick to pick up on this and started to speed up his pace, bursting in through the door of the clinic and yelling words at the short-haired woman seated at the counter. Everything sounded muffled to Akechi, but he didn’t complain as the doctor helped haul him inside the examination room next to the reception desk.

He didn’t make a sound as his bloodied shirt was removed and his exhausted body was placed on a cot, the doctor calmly ordering Akira to fetch some kind of medicine for her, and for the second time that day, Akechi closed his eyes and was greeted by darkness.


	3. Day Three: Accepted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back after nearly a one-year hiatus. Sorry. I swear I never forgot the fic, I just didn't have the motivation to finish it, but now that I'm finally back home from a five-month trip and am nearly done P5R, the inspiration kicked in again. So... maybe more Shuake fics in the future :) But god this entire chapter has been done in the drafts forever and I just never got around to revising it and posting it, yikes.

Goro Akechi awoke in an atmosphere familiar to him, yet an atmosphere that he did not want to find himself in right now.

His most recent memory was being half-awake with a bandaged arm, being brought to Cafe Leblanc, too tired to care when Sojiro and Akira were discussing his stay in the latter’s room. He remembered being coaxed to walk up the stairs before passing out on the bed near the window, still in his clothes from the day prior (without the shirt, actually, thanks to his bandages), and being told to rest while being covered in a blanket that was way too comfortable to exist in such a dusty attic.

And as he awoke, he felt said blanket press against his cold skin - it obviously hadn’t done a great job if he was still cold, despite its soft wool fabric. It wasn’t too strange, however, considering there was a draft near the window and Akechi wasn’t even wearing a shirt, to begin with.

He took in his surroundings. He wasn’t able to spot Akira - good, he thought to himself, as he wasn’t in the mood to be worried over once again - but Morgana was nowhere to be seen either, nor the owner of the cafe, or any of the Phantom Thieves, really. He was all alone in the bed of his enemy…

He jumped up at the thought, ignoring the blanket and bracing against the cold air, looking down at his injured shoulder and realizing that… it didn’t hurt. It wasn’t numb either, meaning the doctor who had healed him must have done a pretty good job. Akechi found himself wondering how much Akira had had to pay her to keep her quiet, or if she knew that her services were being used to help the Phantom Thieves and that staying quiet would be the best option, in the end.

Still curious, however, Akechi reached for the bandages, willing to see if he would still feel pain if he touched anywhere near the wound, but stopped himself as he heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs. He grabbed the blanket to at least cover his bandaged chest, not bothering to fix his messy hair. He braced himself for one of Shido’s subordinates, one of his cleaners perhaps, or any kind of person who had the authority to arrest him.

But within seconds, Akira Kurusu had reached the attic, two cups of coffee in hand, and had rushed over to Akechi, handing him one of the cups. He looked relieved, if not slightly panicked, as if he still hadn’t been expecting Akechi to be lying where he was.

“I’m glad to see you’re finally awake,” he said as a manner of greeting. “It’s already late afternoon - we only brought you here this morning, since Takemi had another client to take care of,” Akira explained. Upon spotting the struggle Akechi was having while holding his coffee cup, however, he added, “Oh, I can help you hold that, by the way. I can just put mine somewhere else, and… are you hungry? Sojiro is making some curry right now, I can go grab some if you want-”

Akechi groaned at Akira’s rambling. “I don’t need help. Just put it somewhere else. And I’ll eat later,” he replied. He ignored his hunger and begged his stomach not to rumble as Akira’s hands met his to grab the cup, quickly placing it on the shelves next to the bed. He also decided to pointedly forget how he had almost spilled his coffee as the Phantom Thief had reached for him, not wanting to make physical contact, his nerves still on edge.

“...Are you sure?” Akira asked several moments later. Still somewhat worried, it seemed.

Akechi nodded, eyes narrowed. He hated this side of Akira - the anxious look in his eyes, the pity, the useless words leaving his mouth and the sudden need to care for someone who had done him wrong. The detective - if he could still call himself that - couldn’t understand it. He couldn’t understand Akira’s true intentions at all, actually, and after becoming so adept at determining other people’s true natures, it annoyed Akechi to his core.

Akira sighed. He took a long sip of his coffee, wincing at the heat, and placed it next to Akechi’s cup. Awkward moments passed as Akira retrieved and nursed his drink, during which Akechi struggled to find places to look at which he found interesting if it meant he could avoid making eye contact with his rival. Who, to no surprise, felt like breaking the silence with the last words Akechi wanted to hear right now.

“I honestly never thought you would agree.” He placed his cup, now nearly empty, back on the shelf, lifting his gaze to try and meet Akechi’s, which was still travelling around the room and trying to find reasons as to why the Jack Frost doll on the tool desk seemed so interesting.

“Agree about the offer, I mean,” Akira clarified, following Akechi’s fleeting gaze. He frowned. “You seemed, I don’t know… debauched, when I found you. You had… honestly, when you spoke, the first thought that came to mind was that you had never sounded so cold.”

This time Akechi was able to meet his gaze. Never sounded so cold, huh? Well, then how about that time I yelled at you and your friends to die and proceeded to make myself go psychotic? Was that really not enough?

Akira’s eyes stayed glued to the western wall. “I was ready to take you by force if I had to. After all that you had done, in the end, you tried to save us, so I wanted to return the favor not just by stopping Shido, but by saving you, too.”

Ah, so that was why. Akira’s faulty sense of justice and incomprehensible need to save others in dire situations had led him to spend an entire night searching for the guy who had tried to murder him and attempt to save his life, too. Even if said guy hadn’t wanted to be saved.

He had even been ready to take him by force, as if Akechi wasn’t strong enough to knock him out before that could happen (even if his dominant hand was out of service). What a pathetic creature. A pathetic excuse.

“I don’t understand how you can be so forgiving sometimes, Joker…” Akechi murmured, his voice full of remorse. Akira seemed to catch on, however, and his gaze slid to meet Akechi’s, seemingly disappointed to find him staring at the foot of the bed.

“Well, I guess I just believe that anyone can be saved,’’ Akira shrugged. ‘’Sure, some can’t, like our targets who have done unforgivable things, but you were manipulated, targeted and forced to believe that what you were doing was right and would pay off in the long run. Maybe that’s how I was able to decide that you were someone worth saving.”

Akechi still refused to look up, mouth tightening as he realized that the usually silent man had talked to Akechi more than he had seen him speak to anyone else. Akira opened his mouth again but was quickly cut off by the sound of someone yelling from downstairs.

“Kid! Get down here if you’re done with the coffee. I need your help.” Sojiro’s booming voice originating from the cafe’s kitchen echoed throughout the entire building. Akechi could only hope that no other customers were around. Not that he cared. He didn’t care.

Akira nodded, throwing back a “sure” his guardian’s way, and grabbed his empty cup along with Akechi’s half full. He didn’t say a word as he left the room, only glancing back to check on Akechi before stepping on the first stair, and quickly but steadily making his way the rest of the way down. Akechi heard hushed whispers and sighs, proving his suspicions of the hidden command in Sojiro’s voice from earlier that indicated that he most likely wanted to ask Akira about Akechi’s state.

I hope he kicks me out. I hope that he gives me a reason to leave this damn place without seeming like I’m running away. I hope he hates me. I hope he teaches Akira to hate me.

Akechi was still staring at the floor as he jumped at the sound of a cup harshly hitting the sink, suddenly shaken out of his thoughts. The startling sound was quickly followed by that of a fist hitting the counter, and then silence.

“...he’s staying, whether you like it or not. If you’re worried, don’t be.”

Akira’s words.

Akechi sighed out of his nose. It seemed even Sojiro couldn’t convince him to just leave Akechi alone, either.

“Fine,” Sojiro replied. ‘’Just keep him safe. I’m worried for the both of you, you know.’’ From the footsteps and entrance bell that sounded, Akechi could tell that one of them had left the cafe. And from Akira’s lack of presence near Akechi, it was probably him who had left.

Finally, Akechi thought. He laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, hands behind him. Thoughts came rushing down on him all at once, overwhelming his senses even if all he wanted was a moment of peace, no matter how brief.

The most prominent thoughts were anything but positive and peaceful.

Maybe you should have tried harder to stay behind.  
Maybe you shouldn’t have tried to save the Phantom Thieves in the first place.  
It isn’t too late. Maybe you should just kill yourself now.

The last thought struck Akechi like lightning. His gaze fast and burning like fire, he glanced towards the worktable at the foot of the bed, but all of the tools were carefully hidden. There weren’t any objects on the shelves, probably also taken away for Akechi’s sake. Akira was smart. It infuriated Akechi to his core.

But like before, even if the thought itself seemed enticing, Akechi knew that he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to do it. The second chance he had been offered, the one that he hadn’t wanted to take, was also the same chance that allowed him to finally achieve the goal that he had set years ago - take on Masayoshi Shido, get rid of him entirely, no matter the cost. And if it were to be accomplished with others, who was Akechi to complain? He didn’t have any other options, did he? Even if he absolutely hated the people he had to work with… it would be worth it, he told himself.

Ding.

Crap. The door to the café opened and slammed shut almost instantly, making Akechi flinch. Another customer, maybe? But he knew that wasn’t the case, if the purposeful steps and the creak of the staircase told him anything.

Akechi had been lying down, but after being startled by the noise, he had sat up, the blanket no longer covering his bare chest (why hadn’t he asked for a shirt, or why hadn’t Akira offered him one, he wondered). He instantly regretted the reaction as the cold air wrapped around him once again, caressing his skin and biting it harshly. But before he could grab the blanket at the edge of the bed and cover himself once again, Akira was at the entrance of the attic, accompanied by a small black bag with Shujin Academy’s logo branded on it as well as a familiar yellow-eyed black cat sitting in it, hopping out onto the attic’s ledge.

Akechi had barely been covered by the blanket when Akira was beside him, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t shown his chest to anyone else before - the public bathhouse, changing rooms, at the doctor’s office, and other similar situations popping to mind - and Akira must have seen it earlier if he had hauled him up to the attic with the doctor so she could apply his bandages. But now, without the gravity of the situation looming upon them, things felt… different. Being exposed to the cold air aforementioned wasn’t helping either.

Akira didn’t seem to pay as much mind to it as Akechi was, only glancing at his injury for a moment. “Your shirt and vest are being washed right now, so I can get them for you later. If you want, you can borrow one of mine.”

Akechi nodded, eyes narrowing as they followed Akira, who made his way to a box in a corner of the room. As for Morgana’s presence, he merely ignored it, not even wanting to believe that the obnoxious cat was there at all. This was a moment to be shared only between him and Akira, for them to study each other and try to decipher what the other would do next. Or maybe it was one-sided, and Akira really didn’t give a shit.

“Here,” the latter said, finishing rummaging through the box and pitching a clean dark gray shirt at Akechi. “Tell me if it doesn’t fit.”

The shirt had short sleeves, which wasn’t ideal for the temperature, but Akechi wasn’t about to be picky about it. He slipped it on easily - it was a bit loose, but once again, Akechi didn’t care. Normally, he wouldn’t pay much mind to the gesture, but the piece of clothing smelled an awful lot like coffee and pastries. Not that it was surprising, considering Akira worked in a coffee shop and all, but… now that Akechi thought about it, maybe wearing his rival’s shirt was strange, intimate even. He gagged.

Morgana seemed to notice Akechi’s discomfort and sneered, almost threateningly. Sneers from the cat were normal, but for him to seem this hateful? He didn’t even make that face at Ryuji.

His fangs still showing, Morgana took a seat, lashing his tail angrily. ‘’Akira, I don’t see why we should have him here. Where did you even find him? We thought he died.” The last word was spat out with such hate that implied that maybe Morgana would have preferred if he had been dead, after all. Akechi couldn’t say he didn’t understand why.

“He’s here so we can hear him talk, Morgana,” Akira replied, glancing at the cat out of the corner of his eye. He was grabbing the chair near the work desk, once again placing it beside the bed. Akechi didn’t move, keeping on a stone-cold face as the raven-haired boy made eye contact with him as he sat down. Morgana was still fuming behind him.

“Well, whatever he had to say should have been shared before he tried to kill us all. I’m just saying, this guy may have tried to save us in the end, but we can’t forgive the things that he did.”

Akira closed his eyes for a brief moment and turned back around to stare at Morgana. “He talks. We listen. Then we decide.’’ He sighed. ‘’Plus, what happened to you saying he was a victim, just like the rest of us? Why are you only mad now that he’s actually here?’’

Morgana huffed, ignoring Akira’s question and leaping down from the wooden ledge to approach the bed. He glanced at it twice on his way there as if he would prefer the softer and warmer surface, but would spot Akechi, give him an indescribable look and think twice about it before jumping onto Akira’s lap instead, lying down.

The traitor-saving trickster didn’t even have to look as he started stroking Morgana’s head, fixing Akechi with a cold stare that was a drastic change from his warm behaviour in their previous conversation this morning. It was almost comical, like Akira was some kind of cat-loving villain from an action movie who currently had the protagonist trapped in his secret lair. Actually, the situation was perhaps a bit too similar to what was happening right now, except Akechi felt less like the trapped protagonist with a secret plan and more like the evil antagonist about to meet his demise.

‘’We haven’t had the chance to properly address the situation,” Akira started, tilting his head. “So I need you to be completely honest with me - if there was anywhere you would rather be right now, where is that place, and why would you want to be there?”

Akechi narrowed his eyes. He could sense no malicious intent behind Akira’s actions; in fact, he hadn’t felt any true hostility up until now. But should he test his limits or obey Akira’s orders and be completely honest? The option seemed obvious.

“There isn’t anywhere else I can go, is there?”

Akira frowned, as if he had been waiting for that precise answer yet was not pleased about it. “Very indirect. But like I said, I need you to be serious. You were lucky enough to survive after saving us, whether that be thanks to one of your Personas or not.” A deep breath, a blink. “I’ve already heard your story, I already know what you’ve done. Which is why…” he glanced at Morgana, who looked back up at him with wide eyes. It seemed things were final then, huh? “...Which is why I want to know what you want to do from here on out.”

Akechi flinched, his head shooting up from its lousy tilt and the smirk he had previously plastered on his face quickly dissipating. “Here on out? As in, I have no choice but to stay with you?” He blinked in genuine surprise.

But he already knew the answer. Akira seemed to notice that as well, for he didn’t say a word, merely waiting there in patient silence.

“...bullshit. I don’t belong here, Kurusu. I’ve messed up, and even after all I’ve shown you already, you still refuse to accept that… maybe it would be best for me to leave.” Even if deep down, behind all those overwhelming feelings of hatred and wanting to give up and fear of putting everyone in danger again, Akechi was slowly starting to accept that he did want to stay with Akira, even if his pride would not let him admit it. “At this point, I’m worth more to you dead than alive.” It was a lie.

Yet for once, after remaining still and stoic since the beginning of the conversation, Akira finally tensed, clutching his hands tight in Morgana’s fur, the cat wincing. Akira’s eyes were full of anger, seething, and his frown deepened - the look made him look more terrifying than ever, the Joker façade rising from that rebellious side deep within him. He hated to admit it, but Akechi would be lying if he said he didn’t feel like a deer in headlights, frozen in fear and anticipation of what was to come.

“I didn’t save you for nothing, Akechi,” he spat. “You still have a purpose alive. If I felt like you were good for nothing, like you deserved to die in that filthy alleyway, you would not be here right now.” Akira’s mission was as clear as ever - make Akechi believe in himself once more, believe that he deserved to be alive and working alongside the Phantom Thieves in the Metaverse to take down the man who had caused him all of his misery.

Akechi’s options were laid out in front of him, as clear as the two pairs of cat-like eyes staring at him piercingly. He wished he could ignore them, close his eyes so they would disappear, but the words and scenarios danced before the blackness of his eyelids. They were insistent, refusing to leave, begging him to pick one, choose this one, choose that one… Akechi swore under his breath. It seemed nothing would be easy for him from now on. Not that it ever had been, but still. The most persistent words were there, calling to him. He knew what he wanted to do. He could not leave his business with the Metaverse unfinished. He had wrongs to right, people to reform, an incomplete goal.

“I stay. I do whatever it takes to bring down Shido. Even if it requires working with you once again.”

Akira waited a few moments, eyes examining every piece of Akechi’s soul, before nodding. Morgana leaped off of his lap as he stood, marking the conversation as final. “I’m happy you took up my offer, Akechi. I know you’ve done bad things in the past, but if you can help us take down the man behind those faults, the man who put you in the position you find yourself in now…” The sentence drifted off as he leaned forward, extending a hand. Akechi did not reach for it, not yet.

“I won’t tell the others until you’re ready,” Akira said. Akechi glanced at his palm once again, the situation playing out much like when he had done this in the alleyway. But back then, there had been tension, hesitation… and even if he was still coming to terms with the rest of his life spreading out before him, Akechi locked eyes with Akira, reached for that hand, and shook it firmly.

“It seems we’ll truly be working together once again. Let’s take down Masayoshi Shido.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm more active on Instagram where I post Shuake on my story daily lmao @kyxrou_. I'm also like. Super close to finishing P5R and I'm scared as fuck but that's okay, how bad can it be, right? I'll just laugh it off like when I got P5 bad ending >:)


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